More details about the death of the gunman who shot and killed four police officers during a shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina, were released in autopsy and toxicology reports obtained by local media
CHARLOTTE, NC — More details have been released about the death of the Charlotte gunman, who carried out the deadliest attack on police officers since 2016, in state autopsy and toxicology reports.
Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, open fire with an assault rifle at officers attempting to execute an arrest warrant on April 29, killing four officers and wounding four others. He was ultimately shot 12 times after a lengthy standoff and died from his wounds, according to a North Carolina coroner’s report obtained by local media.
The report showed that Hughes had been shot in both his upper and lower body. THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, was also found in his system, but other substances such as alcohol were not, according to a toxicology report.
The shooting in the residential area in east Charlotte eventually ended when Hughes jumped from a second-story window into the front yard and was killed, police said. At least 12 officers fired their weapons during the confrontation, police said.
There was initial confusion over whether Hughes acted alone when he fired at officers from the second floor of the home, as police raised the idea that there may have been a second shooter. That possibility was expelled during a press conference on May 31, when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Deputy Police Chief Tonya Arrington said Hughes was the lone shooter in the attack.
There were two women in the house at the time of the shooting, but police said they were not involved in the shooting.
Hughes also had a lengthy criminal record that stretched back more than a decade. State records show he was convicted of burglary, evading arrest and illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, among other charges.
The four officers killed by Hughes were Sam Poloche and William Elliott of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections; Officer Joshua Eyer of Charlotte-Mecklenburg; and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks.
After the shooting, the officers were commemorated in memorials in the state. President Joe Biden also visited North Carolina to speak privately with the officers’ families.